Worcestershire authorities appoint Civica

to run shared customer services

Local partnership to sustain and improve services while saving up to2.6mCUSTOMER services for three Worcestershire councils will be jointly run byCivica as part of a new deal which will save up to 2.6million.Worcestershire County Council, Malvern Hills District Council andWorcester City Council have signed an 8.5 year agreement with Civica, amarket leader in specialist systems and business process outsourcing, tomanage their customer contact centres, telephone and email services.These were previously provided by their own staff through theWorcestershire Hub Shared Service (WHSS).The Worcestershire Hub deals with about 23,000 direct calls, 4,500switchboard calls, 5,000 online enquires and 6,000 visits in person eachmonth for the three councils through two main offices in Worcester andMalvern, part-time services in Upton and Tenbury and a central call centre.As a result of the partnership, which began on 1 May, Civica will use itsexpertise to increase the use of online services by customers through thethree councils websites and to target those most in need of face-to-facehelp. They will also introduce new processes and use IT to achieve savingsand deliver service improvements.More than 50 staff have been transferred to Civica as part of theagreement.Peter Bishop, Strategic Commissioner Service Transformation, atWorcestershire County Council, said: We have a strong track recordin Worcestershire in delivering improved services while reducing the costof providing them. By working with Civica we can ensure a continued andmore efficient service to residents while securing major savings for thethree partner councils.Ivor Pumfrey, Head of Community Services at Malvern HillsDistrict Council, said: "WHSS provides a wide range of services to alarge and diverse population. The new partnership will ensure we deliver aquality service to customers through whichever way they choose tocontact us and provide greater long-term resilience to sustain these keyservices.Helen Frances, Strategy and Transformation Service Manager atWorcester City Council, said: People and their demands are changing.The partnership is designed for our specific needs in Worcestershire, andin particular will improve services for benefits and council tax enquirieswhich are the areas of highest demand.Simon Downing, Civica chief executive, added: There is growingpressure on all organisations to think and act differently. As a strong andstable partner for local government with a successful track record, Civica

is helping the three authorities to maintain and improve services through a

combination of specialist expertise, efficiency and innovation.Civica already delivers revenues and benefits services successfully inSouth Worcestershire in a separate shared service partnership withWychavon District Council, Worcester City Council and Malvern HillsDistrict Council. In addition to maintaining high service levels withsignificantly reduced costs, the company has created a centre ofexcellence in Pershore to provide outsourced and on-demand services forother organisations which has delivered expertise and resources for 18councils across the country. The new partnership will also build on thisfoundation to deliver economies of scale for the Worcestershire Hub.ENDSNotes to editors:About Civica:Civica (www.civica.co.uk) is a market leader in specialist systems and businessprocess services. Through experienced people who understand service delivery,the Group provides software, IT services and outsourcing to help customerstransform the way they work. Drawing on a unique combination of people,technology and business process expertise, Civica supplies more than 3,000organisations in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada and the USA.